Signs your garage door needs repairs or replacement

As the weather gets cold, it becomes easier to find certain faults in your existing garage door mechanism, particularly the faults that are associated to worn-out or faulty insulation. Preferably, these issues have to be part of a regular maintenance inspection. But it’s never too late to do repairs on your garage door.

Moreover, there are different other ways to identify whether your garage door needs to be serviced or it’s in need of maintenance or replacement. Sometimes, cold weather can provide you with better signs of how the garage doors are doing or you might see the warning signs any time of the year.

With that in mind, let’s look at the major signs indicating that your door needs to be replaced, repaired or serviced:

Dents can have a detrimental effect over time
Dents in the garage door are not unavoidable,
Dents do happen, especially if you have a teenage driver living in your house.
However, dents can take their toll over time. Specifically, larger dents will begin to pose a structural problem. They will lead to weaknesses and ultimately, security issues. If one or more dents in the door appear to be creating problems, it’s best to replace the door. Otherwise, rust could set in and replacement will become a more complicated, not to mention expensive, proposition.

Sections of the door sag or bend.
This is a particular area of concern for wooden doors that have seen better days. When not properly maintained, wooden doors begin to lose their shape. This leads to gaps under the ends of the door, which in turn lets cold air in and hampers your attempts to escape the cold winter weather once you’ve brought the car in for the evening.

If your wooden garage door is sagging or appears warped, the best thing that you can do is usually to replace it. A new door makes life a great deal easier, and it also boosts the aesthetic appeal of your house. You’ll be glad you went to the trouble of getting a replacement.

The door is becoming too heavy.
While manual garage doors are much less common than they used to be, some older homes still have one in place. When it comes to sealing in the space and protecting your vehicle from the elements, a manual door is just as effective as an automatic model. However, lifting and lowering that door can take its toll, especially for the elderly or those with mobility problems.

It’s also worth noting that manual doors can actually become more difficult to lift over time. This could be a simple issue with lubrication; or it could be a more serious mechanical problem such as improper tensioning or faulty springs. This could also mean that the door is no longer safe to operate.

In any event, if you note that the door is becoming heavier with time, don’t leap to the conclusion that you’re simply not the strong-armed young person you once were. It’s possible that the door is far past its prime and needs to be replaced. Of course, this also presents the opportunity to install an automatic garage door, which will save you plenty of grievous lifting in the long run.

Your garage door opens more slowly than it used to.
Assuming you’ve lived in the house for at least a few weeks or months, it won’t take long for you to notice the effects of a slowing door. In some cases, replacing the motor is all that’s needed. But a faulty motor usually goes hand-in-hand with a greater systematic failure. An expert technician will be able to offer you the best advice in this situation.

The door rattles or makes unusual noises.
New and unusual noises coming from your garage door are almost always a sign that something is wrong. It could indicate a need for simple repair; but it could also mean it’s time for a new door.

The problem is that you may not hear the door rattling if you have an automatic opener and remain in your vehicle while the door goes up and down. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to get out of your car and send the door up and down again one more time after you’ve parked inside once in a while.

If you only hear run of the mill rattling or the sound of simple movements on the track, then there’s probably nothing to worry about. But if the door is making strange noises that sound like signs of a serious mechanical struggle, then there may be greater problems at play. When in doubt, call an expert technician out for a consult.

The temperature in the garage drops.
This problem is particularly easy to detect this time of year, when outside temperatures are on the decline. In general, homeowners are wise to check the insulation in their garages in the autumn before temperatures drop. But there are situations in which the door (rather than the insulation) is the culprit.

A door with faulty seals, cracks and worn-out insulation won’t be able to effectively fend off cold weather. Not only will this make it uncomfortable for this loading and unloading the car in the winter, it will also have an effect on your energy bills. Some people heat their garages; but even if you don’t, in the majority of circumstances, this space insulates at least one wall of the house from the elements.

Along those lines, if your garage is becoming uncomfortably cool, or if you find yourself paying more for the heating bill than seems normal, it may be time for a new door. We can help you install sectional garage doors that offer extra insulation so that your energy bills and comfort level can return to normal.

The above represent a few easy-to-diagnose situations in which a new garage door will make life easier for you, but there are many more cases to consider. If you suspect that your door may need to be replaced, the best thing you can do is call us up for a no-obligation consult and quote.